My son’s sheets were the unfortunate victim of the stomach flu. How can I remove the vomit?

Sorry to hear about your son! I hope he gets better quickly. As for the sheets, you will want to get vomit stains out as soon as possible! Immediately scrape off the excess, and thoroughly rinse the affected area with cold water

FROM HERE, IF YOUR STAINED ITEM IS WHITE:

1. Wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox^® Regular- Bleach.


2. Air dry the item and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. If stain remains, repeat steps above.

IF YOUR STAINED ITEM HAS COLOR

1. Wash immediately in the warmest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox 2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster.


2. Air dry the item and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. If stain remains, repeat steps above.

My children got some chocolate candy from their Halloween loot all over some colored clothing. How should I treat this?

Chocolate stains are difficult to remove because they contain so many different components. There can be fats and dairy, as well as fine cocoa particles. Treating these combination stains with several treatment steps is a good way to successfully get rid of the stain.

1. Begin by scraping off any hardened chocolate if possible.


2. Pre-treat the stain with the new Clorox2^® Stain Fighter Gel Pen (you could also use a good liquid laundry detergent that contains enzymes), apply a little of the gel directly to the stain and gently work it in. Wait 10 minutes, so the enzymes and surfactants can begin breaking up the protein part of the stain and solubilize any fats, then rinse the stain with a little cool water.


3. Next apply Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster directly to the stain. Rub it in and wait 5 minutes, then wash with detergent + Clorox2^® in the hottest water recommended on the care label.


4. Air dry the items! This is important so you don't heat-set a stubborn stain, so you can re-treat if necessary.

How do you get sticky candy out of clothes?

Happy Halloween! This is the one downside to trick-or-treating – plenty of sticky candy laundry. You didn’t say what type of sticky candy, but I’m guessing it is chewing gum. For that, you can use ice cubes to freeze the gum and then gently scrape away the hardened chunks. Just put the ice directly onto the gum—the ice will melt as you hold it on the gum so plan on using multiple ice cubes—enough to harden the gum. If you can’t scrape all of it away, then pretreat what is left with a little DeSolvIt or Goo Gone, which you can find at hardware stores. You should first test these solvents for colorfastness (apply a drop to a hidden part of the garment, rinse, and blot dry) to be sure the products are safe for the fabric. If there is no color change, spray or rub a little onto the gum and then wash with detergent in the hottest water allowed (check the care label). Allow to air dry and then check for success.  You can also use ice to jumpstart removal of other sticky candies such as tootsie rolls, lollipops, and salt water taffy.  Any remaining stain can be pretreated with liquid Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster before washing in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2^®.  Hopefully this is helpful—please let me know if you have any other questions, and thank you for writing!

How do I remove a pumpkin pie stain from my clothing?

Pumpkin pie is a holiday favorite, but this stain has lots of dairy products and sugars, which complicate the removal process. The first step is to quickly scrape away any excess stain and rinse in cool water.

FROM HERE, IF YOUR STAINED ITEM IS WHITE:

1. Rub stain gently with Clorox^® Bleach Pen^® Gel immediately before laundering.


2. Wash immediately in warm or hot water using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach.


3. Air dry the item and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. If stain remains, repeat steps above.

IF YOUR STAINED ITEM HAS COLOR:

1. Again, quickly scrape away any excess stain and rinse in cool water


2. Then apply Liquid Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster directly to the stain and rub in. Wait 3-5 minutes, then wash in the hottest water recommended using a good enzyme detergent and Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster


3. Air dry the item and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. If stain remains, repeat steps above.

While using an at-home hair dye, I accidentally got some of the hair dye on my bathroom towels. What can I do to remove the stains?

I am really hoping the towels are white—for starters let’s just assume they are. For really concentrated stains like hair dye, you can try a bleach soaking solution of ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water. The towels should be fully submerged--weighting them down with a couple of dishwasher-safe dinner plates on top also helps. Allow the towels to soak for up to 5 minutes and then wash them in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach. Air dry and check for success—hair dye is pretty concentrated so it’s actually pretty likely that you may need to repeat the treatment for complete removal, and keeping the towels out of a hot dryer will increase your chances of getting the stain all the way out. It’s also important to note that rather than go with a stronger bleach solution, it’s better to repeat the soak. There is also another approach you could try with white towels:  pre-treating the stain directly with Clorox^® Bleach Pen Gel—apply a little of the gel directly to the stain and rub it in with the soft scrubber tip, and then wash immediately with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach. Again, you want to air dry the towels and check your progress.

If your towels are colored, you may still be able to use the bleach soak if the dye used for the towels can be safely bleached. You can check first with a bleachability test: add 2 teaspoons Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of this solution to a discreet part of the item; wait 1 minute and then blot dry; no color change means you can safely bleach the item. If the towels don't pass, then you could try pre-treating with Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster—apply a little of the liquid directly to the fabric and wait 5-10 minutes before washing with detergent and more Clorox2^®. Note that you don’t want the product to stay on the fabric too long or be allowed to dry on the fabric. It’s better to repeat the treatment when you are working on a super concentrated stain rather than cause damage from prolonged contact.  Finally, remember to keep them out of the dryer until the stain is all the way out!

What is the best way to remove coffee stains?

Hopefully your coffee-stained item is white and made of a fabric that you can safely bleach--you should always avoid bleaching fabrics that are made with wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex.  If your item is not on that list, then, proceed as follows.

1. For localized stains, rub stain gently with Clorox^® Bleach Pen^® Gel just before laundering.


2. Or, for large spills, pre-soak the entire item in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water. Submerge the garment and soak for 5 minutes.


3. Wash immediately in the hottest water recommended by the care label using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach


4. Air dry the item and check for success—larger stains may require an additional treatment for complete removal.

If your item includes any of the fibers on the “avoid bleaching” list, or is colored, then you should treat it as follows:

Apply Liquid Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster and rub into stain.  Wait 3-5 minutes, then wash immediately in the hottest water recommended using detergent and Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster.

1. Air dry the item and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. If stain remains, repeat steps above.

This summer, mildew built up all over my sidewalk. How can I use Clorox to remove it?

What a great project to tackle at the end of summer mildew buildup! For mildew removal on concrete (such as a patio), use a dilution of 1 cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.  Here’s how to proceed:

1. 1. Protect nearby plants and grass by watering area thoroughly before and after product use.


2. 2. Hose patio to remove loose debris.


3. 3. Apply the solution as needed to keep the area wet for 5 minutes. Brush as needed to remove stains.


4. 4. Rinse thoroughly and avoid excessive runoff near plants.

Good luck with your clean up!

I spilled red wine all over my favorite shirt! What can I do to get it out?

Unfortunately for red wine lovers, although the tannins help make great red wines, they also really add difficulty to the removal of wine stains. The first step for you is to quickly blot up excess red wine with a paper towel or cloth, or use Club Soda to help bubble the wine off the fabric; blot away excess

From here, if your stained item is white:

1. Rub stain gently with Clorox^® Bleach Pen^® Gel immediately before laundering


2. Wash immediately in warm water with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular- Bleach


3. Air dry the item and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. If stain remains, repeat steps above.

If your stained item has color or contains spandex:

1. Again, quickly blot up excess red wine with a paper towel or cloth, or use Club Soda to help bubble the wine off the fabric; blot away excess


2. Then apply Liquid Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster directly to the stain and rub in.  Wait 3-5 minutes, then wash immediately in hottest water recommended using detergent and Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster


3. Air dry the item and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. If stain remains, repeat steps above.

It is officially fall! With the change of seasons come a change of weathers, and a cool weather favorite has always been hot chocolate! Chocolate has fine particles and milk proteins that can make this a difficult stain to remove

1. Soak fabric in cold water and good liquid laundry detergent for about 30 minutes to help loosen the protein part of the stain

From here, if your stained item is white:

1. Rub chocolate stain gently with Clorox^® Bleach Pen^® Gel immediately before laundering


2. Wash immediately in warm water with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach


3. Air dry the item and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. If stain remains, repeat steps above.

If your stained item is colored or contains spandex:

1. Again, soak fabric in cold water and good liquid laundry detergent for about 30 minutes to help loosen the protein part of the stain


2. Then apply Liquid Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster directly to the stain and rub in.  Wash immediately in warm water using detergent and Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster.


3. Air dry the item and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. If stain remains, repeat steps above.

I got pen ink on my shirt. What can I do to treat it? Should I try Clorox bleach on it? Or is there some other method I can try?

I have a two-step process for dealing with ink stains that I hope will help you, but first you need to determine the colorfastness of the shirt. Many colored dress shirts can be safely bleached; do a quick bleachability test to be sure. Mix 2 tsp. Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water, apply a drop to a hidden area (hem, inside cuff) and blot dry. No color change means the shirt can be safely bleached, and you would treat the stain as follows:

Apply alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.

1. Wash in the hottest water allowed (check the care label) with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox Regular-Bleach. Allow the shirt to air dry and check for success.

If the shirt doesn’t pass the bleachability test, then you can use Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster:

1. Apply alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.


2. Apply Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster directly to the stain, wait five minutes, then wash in the hottest water allowed with detergent + Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster. Allow the shirt to air dry and check for success.

The biggest problem with a stain like this is that the ink is super concentrated and may require multiple treatments to get the stain out. Just be sure to continue to air dry the shirt in between treatments until you achieve success.